Lightning Extend Streak At Home, 4-1, In Win Over Rangers; ECF Series Tied At 2-2

Lightning struck twice as Tampa Bay won their second-straight game, 4-1, to tie the Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Rangers at 2-2.

Tampa’s Pat Maroon put the Lightning up with an early goal, 1-0, in the first.

Ondrej Palat was a force for Tampa on Tuesday. He scored a goal and notched two assists, including a dish to Nikita Kucherov to get ahead of three Rangers defenders and take a 2-0 in the second period.

Tampa cap Steven Stamkos elevated the lead to 3-0.

New York was desperate for a comeback in the third but only managed a score from Artemi Panarin during a Rangers power play. Eventually, an empty netter put Tampa’s lead up to four.

Andrei Vasilevskiy was a reliable blockade all night, stopping some darts from New York’s Jacob Trouba. He recorded 34 saves on 35 shot attempts.

The Lightning tallied their sixth straight win at home this postseason.

Amalie Arena felt the weight of the statement win by the two-time defending champs.

Game 5 between the Lightning and Rangers shifts back to the Big Apple. The Rangers are currently on an eight-game winning streak at home.

The Lightning moves one game closer toward winning the East, and the series gets a step closer to pushing Justin Bieber’s June 14 concert out of its scheduled date at MSG if it leads to a Game 7.

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela